


Vows

by Lalaith_Quetzalli



Series: Reweaving Fate Through Destiny [6]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, Durin Family, Dwarf/Elf Relationship(s), Elf/Human Relationship(s), F/M, Family, Interspecies Relationship(s), Kíli lives, M/M, Post-Battle of Five Armies, Pre-Lord of The Rings, Technically Movieverse timeline, altered timeline, tauriel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-21
Updated: 2015-01-21
Packaged: 2018-03-08 11:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3207653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lalaith_Quetzalli/pseuds/Lalaith_Quetzalli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After yet another fight with her father, regarding her choice of beloved, Arwen finds counsel in the dwarf kingdom of Erebor, from their elven princess.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Vows

**Author's Note:**

> So it's Arwen's turn now. I would like to make it known that I was inspired to write this after reading a short One-Shot that had a conversation between Bilbo and Arwen about their loves, highlighting the things the two of them had in common, loving to-be-Kings, as well as what those loved ones had in common (them being Thorin and Aragorn, of course). I cannot remember the name of that fic right now, but I liked it and wanted to try my hand at something like that. Then I decided Tauriel fit much better into it and... well, this came to be. 
> 
> Now, I said I would address the issue of timelines here. It's like this. Purist fans will of course remember the basic times between events (maybe even the years specific things happened). I know all that too. However, it's like with the whole Midsummer, last-moon-of-autumn thing. In this case, I have several things to base myself on: In both the Hobbit and LotR movies, mention is made of sixty years passing between the end of Bilbo's quest to Erebor and the birthday where he chose to 'disappear'; yet no mention is made of any other long span of time; though in book-canon, seventeen years pass between that fated birthday party and Frodo having to leave the Shire. Then there's the fact that at the end of BoFA Thranduil suggested to his son that he travel west and find a ranger who called himself Strider... if we were to follow book-canon, Aragorn would have been 10 years old at the time, going by the name Estel and living in Rivendell. However, if we take away the seventeen years I mentioned... that would make him twenty-seven, a time during which he was already a ranger, chieftain of the Dúnedain and traveling through Eriador. 
> 
> In summary, for the purpose of this series the Quest of Erebor happened 16 years after it did in canon (I'm also moving birth-dates and so on of Bard, his family and any other mortal who might be relevant). The remaining year will be in between the party and Frodo actually leaving the Shire. 
> 
> I suppose a lot of my explanation is unnecessary to all but the more hardcore fans... but since I am one, I considered it necessary to build it up, and share it with you. In any case, I hope I explained it right. Now, on with the story!

**Vows**

There was some tension in Erebor, it had been like that for a while, since the Royal Consort had stopped spending the winter season in the Lonely Mountain, two years prior. The first time hadn't been his choice. A caravan had reported that something had happened in the Misty Mountains, a huge landslide had practically destroyed the only safe pass (the Company told everyone it must have been another Thunder Battle); and while it could be fixed, it would take a while, which made any travel for the season impossible. The following year, near the end of the Fall, Rue (the young raven who'd long since offered to act as personal messenger between King Thorin and his consort); arrived with a sad message: the yearly visits would stop.

It was something that at least the Durins and the Company had been expecting already. They'd known from the very first time the hobbit had left the Lonely Mountain, that one day he might not be coming back, not because he didn't want to, but because once his Destiny caught up with him, that would be it. And it had finally happened, in a way no one could have ever planned.

Bilbo's cousin, Drogo Baggins and his wife Primula had been in an accident while sailing, both had died, leaving their twelve-year-old son, Frodo, all alone. For the time being the boy was under the care of the patriarch of his mother's family, though Bilbo had been visiting often and was considering offering to adopt the youngling and take him to Bag End.

Drogo had been Bilbo's favorite cousin, one of the few who never mocked or doubted the stories Bilbo told about his trip to the Lonely Mountain, and never criticized him for his yearly trips back. No, the other hobbit had been kind and understanding, listening to Bilbo rant about their shared relatives, the Sackville-Bagginses (who kept trying to take Bag-End and Bilbo's stuff, though, thankfully, the Gamgees were always around to be of assistance); he also tended to worry about his cousin being alone all the time. Bilbo actually thought he might have suspected the truth, or a part of it (that Bilbo had someone outside the Shire), but never said a word about it.

And Frodo... he was a child, one who needed a tutor, a guide... and Bilbo was more than willing to be that person. Frodo had been such a sweet, loving child, Bilbo couldn't allow that to be lost, even with such a tragedy as the loss of his parents and... though he dared not admit it, even to himself, Bilbo could feel there was something else at work. Frodo was important, or would be, one day. The most important of all. He could remember, with almost painful clarity, the words written by the Gift of the Stars, the Lady Eleana, in her last letter to him and his mate:

_(...) You are such a remarkable being, and as much good as you've done thus far, the Quest for Erebor was never meant to be the end of the road for you, there is more yet to come, as you might be able to suspect already. And even though that Woven Fate is now gone, that means not you cannot help when the time comes, as I'm sure you will. The One meant to carry on the task of freeing Arda in the future is not yourself, and never was, but you shall be an important part in his coming to be the individual he's meant to be... if you allow it, that is._

He and Thorin had long ago decided that they would, in fact allow it; and not only that, they would do everything in their power to make sure things turned out alright. The halfling couldn't begin to imagine how Frodo, the young not-even-a-tween-yet who looked so fragile, pushed down by pain and grief, would one day be the Savior their world had been waiting for, but he held no doubts that it was, indeed, him and just as it had been foretold, Bilbo would come to be an important part in him becoming the individual he was meant to be.

The crux of the matter was the absence of the Royal Consort for two consecutive winters, and the effect that was having in one King Thorin (mainly short-temper and near endless brooding).

It was to all that, that Arwen, daughter of Elrond, Lord of Imladris, granddaughter of Galadriel, Lady of Lothlórien, arrived. She wasn't actually sure why she was in the Lonely Mountain at all, her grandmother had told her to go after her latest disagreement with her father. Their talks had been tense since he'd first learnt of his daughter promising her hand in marriage to Aragorn, son of Arathorn, Chieftain of the Dúnedain (and, unknown to all but his closest kith and kin, the Heir of Isildur and Heir to the Throne of Gondor).

Elrond refused to accept that his daughter would choose to marry a man, a mortal, that she might choose mortality over the eternal life of the firstborn, that he might lose her to the last fate of all mortal races: death, and not see her again until the end of time. Arwen hated causing her Adar (Father) grief, but she just loved Aragorn too much.

Galadriel had suggested that she take some time to herself, and visit Erebor while she was at it, and while Arwen had no idea how visiting a Dwarven Realm would help her, at all, she trusted her grandmother, and therefore followed the advice.

Arwen silently followed a dwarf through a number of halls (enough she was quite sure she would never be able to find her way out without help). She was still more than a little confused, as the dwarf that had received her hadn't seemed exactly surprised to see her, or an elf, at all. He was quite convinced he knew where she was going and had begun leading her right away.

She reached what looked like a set of apartments richly decorated; was just at the entrance when her guide abruptly stopped, allowing another figure to step past. Arwen blinked, the unknown individual was a young girl, too slim to be a dwarf, yet with a quiet strength about her that the she-elf could sense more than see; a cascade of hair a dark mahogany completely straight but for the slight curling at the tips, which looked redder; her eyes though, were the most striking feature, a mix of blue, green and brown, they held the light of the stars.

Arwen didn't get the chance to ask who that was, her guide answered the question without need for it as he bowed respectfully at the youngling.

"Princess." He murmured quietly.

"Gimli..." The girl (she looked quite young, Arwen would have guessed ten, had she been human, though she obviously wasn't). "You know you need not address me as such. I am just a girl."

"A girl who is also princess of Erebor." Arwen's guide reminded her.

"We all know the throne shall never be mine." She stated rather calmly. "And that's just fine by me, let Adad (Dad) worry about one day ruling Erebor, and Fili after him."

It looked like Gimli was going to say something else, but right then the girl's eyes turned to Arwen, she seemed to be studying her, with a quiet intensity that almost made the daughter of Elrond fidget, though she managed to keep herself still, if barely.

"You must be our unexpected guest." She declared with a self-satisfied nod. "Stiarna, daughter of Kili, at your service."

"Arwen, daughter of Elrond, at yours." The she-elf replied almost automatically, before she processed what had been said. "You knew I was coming?"

"Since you passed the borders of Mirkwood." The girl stated, then added in a conspiratorial tone. "You'll find that birds around here, especially thrushes and ravens are quite the gossipers, worse that the human women down in Dale or Esgaroth..." She giggled. "In any case, I shall take my leave, my lady. Naneth is inside."

A corner of Arwen's mind pointed out that a girl in Erebor, a princess of the Lonely Mountain judging by what had been said by the red-haired dwarf, had just used an elven word to refer to her mother... yet there was no time to wonder about it, for right then her guide signaled for her to follow, stepping into the main room of the apartments.

Arwen had a handful of seconds to look at the woman in the room before the redheaded dwarf called her attention. She was tall and lean, like an elf or a human, with creamy skin and a curtain of auburn hair falling down her back, a number of plaits and beads making for a rather interesting style; she wore a simple enough gown made of dark linen, in shades of brown and green (as one would expect from Woodland elves) and leather boots; however, most noticeable was the wrap around her shoulders, made of fine green silk and embroidered with silver and tiny jewels.

"Your Highness..." Gimli called right then.

"Gimli!" The woman smiled brightly at the dwarf. "I've told you time and again, call me Tauriel. Your father is kith and as good as kin, and so are you."

"You're still the princess consort of Erebor, my lady." The dwarf stated with a small smile.

The auburn-haired female, princess consort of Erebor, smiled kindly at the dwarf in a gesture that Arwen believed signaled an exchange the two had been having and going back to for a while. Her pondering stopped when the woman's eyes, hazel, fixed on her.

"So this is our guest." She declared with a smile, getting on her feet.

"Arwen, daughter of Elrond, your Highness, at your service." Arwen did her best curtsy.

"Ah..." The other female nodded, her smile widening. "Tauriel, daughter of Dirhael, wife of Kili, at yours." She made a pause before adding. "I am well acquainted with your father and brothers, my lady Arwen."

"Please, just Arwen, princess." Arwen said immediately.

"In that case, I insist on you calling me Tauriel." The auburn-haired stated. "My family and I are not the kind to stand on ceremony unless absolutely necessary."

Arwen thought the dwarf might have snorted at that, but not a word was said.

"I shall take my leave then, prin...Tauriel." Gimli smiled almost cheekily.

"Go." Tauriel nodded. "Before your father thinks you've skipped out of your lessons to go hide and seek with my son again."

Gimli muttered some choice words under his breath, which Arwen did not understand as they were spoken in khuzdul; and while Tauriel only caught a few, they were enough to know that it stung the young dwarf that some treated him like a child because he chose to play with the little prince. Not that anyone could resist Fili when he wanted something, really, so it wasn't like others could talk. He was too much like his namesake, from what she'd been told.

"Would you please order some tea and pastries for us?" Tauriel asked before Gimli fully stepped out of the room. "It's a few hours before dinner yet and I'm sure Arwen would like a bit of a bite to eat after her travels, as would I for that matter."

"Of course, I'm sure Bombur will send something right away." Gimli nodded, finally leaving.

Arwen took a seat in a comfortable armchair across from the love-seat where the princess was perched. It was also until that moment that the raven-haired she-elf noticed there was a hole carved into the mountain wall right beside the princess, a window, for all intents and purposes. Not too big, but enough for some light to slip through; also, as she would discover eventually, it had a wonderful view of the valley that descended into Dale.

It was only a few minutes before another dwarf dashed into the room, carrying a tray with some tea and a plate of pastries, placed it in the table between the ladies before bowing to each of them, murmuring respectfully a word to the princess and leaving. Arwen just blinked.

"Please forgive Bein." Tauriel said with a small smile. "She's a shy little thing. Proud of being a handmaiden, but terribly afraid of most newcomers. Aska helps where she can, but still." The princess shook her head. "But eat, and drink."

Arwen took the offered cup of tea before trying a pastry. It was soft and sweet, different from anything she might have expected the dwarves to create.

"It's a special recipe." Tauriel said, as if reading her mind. "Given to the Head Cook, Bombur by the Royal Consort, Bilbo, different from what most dwarrows know, though everyone in Erebor takes great delight in its sweetness, especially the younglings."

Arwen nodded, even if there was a lot she still did not understand. Royal Consort? She had heard nothing of a Queen in the mountain, though enough was said everywhere in Arda about Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain and his Company, 12 dwarves and one halfling from the west, on the other side of the Misty Mountains.

"I always wanted to meet you." Tauriel commented then. "I had the honor of meeting your Adar, Lord Elrond, as well as his sons: Elladan and Elrohir. They did me a great favor by standing by me as kin during my wedding, 22 years ago. Lord Elrond also gave his blessing to my eldest, Stiarna, when she was born, two years later. They spoke much about you, I regretted greatly that I couldn't get the chance to meet you as well." She shook her head, pushing the melancholy away. "But that's in the past now. Tell me Arwen, what brings you to Erebor in this day, especially on your own? We weren't expecting any visitors at this time."

"To be perfectly honest, I know not." The raven-haired answered. "Things have been tense with Adar recently, and after our latest disagreement grandmother suggested I take some time. She also implied I might find some help in Erebor, though I know not what she meant with that."

"Might I ask what's caused the tension between you and your kin?" Tauriel asked quietly.

She knew it was a delicate question, but if her growing suspicions were right and the Lady of the Golden Wood had sent Arwen to her (and she had no idea who else in Erebor might be able to do anything for the young elleth), she first needed to know what the situation was.

"He disagrees with a number of my choices of late." Arwen admitted, hesitantly, before revealing the full truth: "Mainly that of choosing Aragorn, son of Arathorn, a Dúnedain to be my husband."

"A mortal man..." Tauriel breathed out in understanding.

"Yes." The raven-haired nodded. "Father refuses to allow me my choice. Though I've sworn to take no other, and that I will not be traveling to Valinor, regardless of how many arrangements he makes." Once started, she couldn't seem to stop. "It's terrible. He's sent Aragorn from Rivendell, given him near-impossible tasks to fulfill before he may allow us to wed; probably in hopes that the match will never come to be. Aragorn cares too much for Adar to go behind his back; he would do anything that is asked of him, or die trying. And I know not what else to do! I don't even know why grandmother sent me here! How could I ever find help in a dwarven kingdom?!"

"I believe the Lady Galadriel did not send you to Erebor, per say, she sent you to me." Tauriel revealed, the state of the other elf pushing her to be sincere.

"Pardon me?" Arwen's shock was almost palpable.

"I am Tauriel, daughter of Dirhael, son of Arahael, second Chieftain of the Dúnedain and Tawar, Woodland She-elf from Lindon." The auburn haired stated in a solemn tone as she purposefully pushed her hair behind one of her ears, revealing the pointed tip. "I am a Peredhel, and I've chosen to share in the gift of the Secondborn, death, out of love for my husband, my One: Kili, son of Vili, sister-son of Thorin and heir to the throne of Erebor."

Arwen was speechless. Though she wasn't quite sure which fact surprised her most: she'd known she and Aragorn weren't the first mortal-immortal pair (going back all the way to Lúthien and Beren), but there had been no others known in hundreds of years; and the idea of an elf, even a peredhel like Tauriel claimed to be, mated to a dwarf! And then there was the tiny little detail Arwen was just beginning to process that the auburn-haired had just claimed to be daughter of a Dúnadan herself, which meant she was kin (if distant) to her beloved Aragorn. Did he know? She didn't think so. Though it was evident that her Adar did.

"I think it might be best if I explain things more." Tauriel decided.

And she did. She explained the whole story to Arwen. All the way from her parents, their lives in what had once been Rhudaur, her father's death, the move to Mirkwood, her Naneth's connection with Thranduil's Queen. She didn't say much about her adolescence and early adult years in Greenwood as it wasn't that important, in the grand scheme of things, beyond her joining the Guard and eventually becoming captain. Then came the most important part, from her hunt of spiders in Mirkwood, to finding Thorin's Company, saving Kili, their talks while he was in a dungeon, the runestone, the fight by the dam as the Company was escaping; her choosing to disobey Thranduil's direct orders, the battle in Laketown, healing Kili, splitting up to follow their own duties... the Battle of Five Armies.

A slight, wordless exclamation slipped from Arwen's lips when hearing about the battle, the number of enemies so great the whole endeavor seemed absolutely hopeless. No mention was made of Thorin's gold-sickness. With Tauriel being the one to tell the story she could explain the holes in the story with the fact that she'd been absent. Arwen made to ask what had happened afterwards, when they were abruptly interrupted by what looked like a honey-haired missile.

"Amad (Mama)!" The child cried out, dashing across the room and jumping onto Tauriel's lap.

He was young, looking no older than three or four in human terms, very small, though with broader-shoulders than any human or elven child Arwen had ever seen (for his dwarven heritage), his hair was short and completely straight, a lighter auburn than Tauriel, with the slightest hint of blonde, and the deepest blue eyes Arwen had seen outside of the elves; at least that was what she thought until she saw the man that followed the boy.

He was a man, an older dwarf (Arwen wouldn't try to guess at his age, though it was obvious he was adult, yet not truly old), with straight raven-black hair adorned with a number of braids and beads, a rather short mustache and beard (in comparison to other dwarves she'd seen since arriving); he was dressed in sturdy but elegant clothes, prominently dark blue, the same blue of his eyes, of his son's eyes.

The Lady of Rivendell heard the father chastise his son (still in his mother's lap) softly in his own language before raising his head and claiming her lips with his own in a short but intense kiss. Arwen couldn't help the sharp intake of breath at the display, which called the attention of all three members of the family to her.

"Glóin did mention we had a visitor." The dwarf commented, bowing respectfully at Arwen and introducing himself. "Kili, son of Vili, sister-son of Thorin, prince of Erebor, at your service."

"Arwen, daughter of Elrond, at yours." Arwen bowed her own head respectfully.

"Ah..." The raven-haired dwarf nodded, as if her introduction explained everything. "I see."

Arwen was briefly distracted by the boy who, at his mother's prompting was waving a shy hello at her. The Lady of Rivendell could only smile at him, he was so adorable. For just an instant images overlapped in her mind, and she could see a little boy with dark ringlets and blue-gray eyes with the light of the stars waving at her instead, her own necklace hanging from his neck... the image was gone so fast she almost thought she might have imagined it, but a corner of her mind was sure she hadn't, she'd just seen her son...

"This is Fili, our son." Kili's voice brought her out of her reverie.

"And our daughter Stiarna... you might have seen her as she left my chambers, right before you arrived." Tauriel added for good measure.

"Stiarna..." Kili repeated, as if only then realizing something. "Where is she, exactly?"

"Where she always is, practicing her archery." Tauriel declared with a mix of amusement and resignation. "I see not what the point was in telling her she was too young to train with the other dwarflings, yet you still had that bow made for her."

"It's a toy!" Kili replied. "She wasn't supposed to take it so seriously."

"It's a bow, which you gave her, which you had made just for her." Tauriel pointed out, still in the same tone. "Add to that the fact that it's well-known we're both archers, of course she was going to take it seriously."

"She will be an amazing archer one day, you'll see." Kili declared proudly.

"Of that I have no doubt." Tauriel agreed. "I just could do without the scares she gives me every other day with her stunts." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Your mother did warn me that, after you, any child of yours was going to be a handful."

"I resent that!" Kili called in mocking hunt.

"You mean you resemble that, my dear." Tauriel quipped.

Arwen couldn't help herself, she laughed. There was such a rapport between those two, so much love, it was there in their every word, in their faces as they looked at each other. It mattered little that they might be from different races, that their people hadn't been in the best of terms for millennia (had actually been at war against each other for the longest time...) they just loved each other, and nothing else could get in the way of that. Arwen wondered if it would ever like that for her, if her and Aragorn would ever be like that...

"So, what are you ladies talking about?" Kili asked, taking a seat beside his wife.

"Our story." Tauriel answered honestly.

"Really?" His eyes gained a hint of mischief. "Did you tell her how gallant I was when we first met in Mirkwood?"

"You mean when you kept yelling at me to give you a dagger and I wouldn't, and you threw me the most incredulous look when I instead threw it at the spider about to eat you?" She retorted with a smirk of her own.

"I had everything under control!" He declared with a mock-indignant huff.

"I'm sure..." She drawled. "In any case, I already told her about that, I was..." She hesitated for just a moment before adding. "I was telling her about Ravenhill..."

"Oh..." That killed any humor stone-dead.

That part of the story was stilted, tense, and there was a lot left unsaid, but Arwen got the gist of it: Thorin, his nephews and one other going to Ravenhill to kill Azog, hoping to end the battle faster, splitting up to search for him; the hobbit arriving to tell them of the coming enemy army (a second one) and making them realize it was all a trap; Prince Fili being killed before their eyes, too far away for anyone to be able to do anything about it; Kili rushing wildly, wanting to avenge his brother, Thorin wanting to stop Azog before his other nephew ended up dead, hobbit and remaining dwarf trying to keep the coming army at bay, and two elves arriving to all that mess; Tauriel looking for Kili, and the two of them ending involved in a duel to the death against the leader of the second army: Bolg. And their salvation, in the form of a pebble.

"A pebble?" Arwen repeated, not quite able to wrap her head around it.

"We don't understand it ourselves." Kili admitted with a slight shrug. "Never have, never will. In the end, it was only by Mahal's favor that we survived, and we shall always be thankful for that. Just as we're thankful of the one who saved Uncle Thorin."

That part of the story was even more unbelievable. Arwen knew about Lady Eleana. It was thanks to her that her own mother, Celebrían, hadn't perished at the hands of the orcs who had abducted her, years before. She knew her brothers had found both, with the Lady working tirelessly to keep the she-elf alive. In the end the Lady of Imladris had had to leave for Valinor, her pain too much to be endured on Arda anymore. Arwen knew that by her own choice, her love for Aragorn, she would never see her mother again, not until the end of time at least; she had a feeling Celebrían had known, considering the last words she'd told her daughter before sailing to Aman:

" _I'm sorry to leave you like this, my child. You're still so young, have so much to learn. I'm sorry I won't be here to help you through it all. And yet, I have only one piece of advice to give you, which I hope might help you when you need it most. The hardest thing for a parent to do, is to let go, to allow their child to make their own lives; but it is something we must all do one day. The hardest thing for a child to do is to let go too, to step forth on their own, make their own lives; and that too is something everyone must do eventually. The day will come for you, to make your life, and you must be ready, don't let anything hold you back, not fear... and not love. I will always love you, my beautiful daughter, no matter where I am, and no matter where you might be. Love knows no boundaries, it's absolute, it's forever..."_

She couldn't have imagined it back then, of course, but in that moment, with Aragorn in her life, and with the consequences of the choice she herself was making, Arwen couldn't help but think that, in some way, her mother had known all along what would happen (it's not like she would be the first member of their family to have premonitions).

Tauriel and Kili continued the story then, taking turns to explain about the slow rebuilding of Erebor, a she-elf living inside the mountain, the men that took refuge for that winter inside too, the rebuilding of Dale the following spring, culminating with the coronation of the first king of the new Dale: Bard Blackarrow, the Dragonslayer. His heir, Prince Báin, who was married and had a four-year-old son called Brand. There was also the youngest princess, Tilda, married to a dwarf and with an eight-year-old daughter called Aska. The oldest princess, Sigrid, had passed away during the winter, the coughs taking her (rumors said she'd never fully recovered from the birth of her only child, Halbarad). The boy, less than two years old, was being raised by his father, Dathon, a Ranger from the North with help from his wife's family.

What caught and kept Arwen's attention, though, was when Tauriel and Kili got into the stories of their first year as a married couple. While their King and Company had been very supportive of the two, as well as the elder princess of Erebor (the King's sister) not all dwarves shared that attitude; some downright hated elves. And there were those who were brave (insane) enough to express their opinion about the match between their prince and the she-elf.

"You did what?!" Arwen eeped like she hadn't since she was a teen.

Which was perfectly normal considering what Tauriel had just told her she'd taken to doing whenever someone dared insult her mate in her presence.

"I threw knives at them." Tauriel repeated.

Arwen would have thought she was bluffing, except that the princess was being too calm and serious to be joking about throwing blades at people... dwarves.

"Amad... mother actually forged a collection of knives and gifted them to Tauriel for that very purpose." Kili added with a bright smile. "Blacksmithing is her craft."

"But... throwing knives..." Arwen still couldn't wrap her head around it.

"You need to stop trying to analyze this situation from the point of view of an elf, Arwen." Tauriel told her calmly. "These are dwarves I was dealing with. Their love for their One, their soul-mate is stronger than stones and as enduring and unchanging as the mountain we're in. They can also be quite possessive; not because they're greedy, opposite to what other races might believe. To dwarves, jewels are about more than the value of the materials, their true value lays in the work that was put into mining and shaping every piece. Same as the flowers are for the hobbits, or the songs and other forms of art for the elves."

"Stop!" Kili called with a laugh. "You're sharing all our secrets!"

"Oh shut it." Tauriel replied with a smile. "Jewels are important for dwarves, and their One will always be their most precious jewel. Which makes them both possessive and over-protective. My throwing knives in the defense of my mate was not only justified, it was accepted."

"She reacted like a true dwarrowdam would." Kili added. "It's what made some the older Clans accept her. They decided if she could embrace our culture, they could deal with her origins."

"It's not like I killed anybody." Tauriel stated calmly. "Of all the blades I threw, most were warnings, less than a dozen actually hit anyone and no injury was truly serious."

Arwen's eyes widened again at the confirmation that Tauriel had, in fact, injured people... dwarves! However, like her new friend had stated, it was a different culture.

"Well," Kili got on his feet, taking the boy in his arms. "I think it's about time this little one and I got a bath. Dinner will be in an hour and Uncle will burst a vein or something if he sees us like this." He made a pause as if considering before adding. "Why don't you show the Starlight Path to your friend?" He turned to Arwen. "My lady, this little one and I shall see you at dinner."

Arwen just nodded and smiled, waving back at the kid, before turning back to her new friend.

"Starlight Path?" The Daughter of Elrond asked, confused.

Tauriel just smiled, signaling to the raven-haired to follow. They left the suite, walking down the hall to what seemed, at first glance, like a dead-end, only it wasn't. A column marked a corner and behind it, in such a way that no one would know of it, except those who knew it existed, was a set of stairs. Tauriel lead Arwen up for what must have been two levels, not a word said.

When she left the stairs, fully stepping on the landing, Arwen was left breathless, watching her surroundings in wonder. She was standing on one end of a walkway, made of perfectly smooth stones, both sides of it were almost overflowing with all kinds of flowers, a rainbow of colors and scents; at the end a white-ash tree, still growing, already amazing. And as she followed the tree up, eventually Arwen's eyes laid on the darkening skies, and the stars shining down...

"The Starlight Path..." She abruptly understood exactly why the place was called that, she turned to Tauriel. "What is this place?"

"This is my husband's wedding gift to me." Tauriel answered, full of feeling. "Kili knows how much I love starlight; and how I was pretty much giving it up by coming to live here... so he made a new starlight path for me to walk."

"He loves you so much." Arwen murmured. "Just as much as you love him, I think."

Tauriel just nodded, having no words to express herself in that moment.

**xXx**

Arwen stayed in Erebor for a fortnight, before deciding it was time to go back to Rivendell. Tauriel had assured her she would make arrangements for her safety back to her father's home, even if no details were given. Which was why she wasn't expecting it when she found none other than her Aragorn waiting at the foot of the Lonely Mountain for her. Legolas was with him (his friend had recently convinced him to visit Mirkwood and his father if only briefly).

"Tauriel!" Arwen cried out in shock.

"What?" The princess of the mountain smiled impishly at her friend. "I told you I would get a couple of Rangers to escort you to Rivendell, there's no way I could have known that the closest ones were Strider and Prince Legolas, right?"

The bright smile in the auburn-haired peredhel said it all.

"I have a gift for you." Tauriel announced before Arwen could go to where the other two were waiting. "It's not much but... It's all I can give you, I know you will make good use of it."

Arwen took the rolled up scroll Tauriel was offering her, not understanding. However, there was no time right then, the others were waiting for her. So Arwen slipped the scroll into her clothes, thanked her friend, said her goodbyes and left.

The Lady of Rivendell wouldn't remember the scroll until she was safely back in Rivendell, in her room, and when she unrolled it she would find there just a few words, and even without any explanation, she would know what they meant:

" _Heart to thee... Body to thee... Soul to thee... Always and forever, so mote it be."_

They were vows, Tauriel's and Kili's vows; and one day they would be hers and Aragorn's too.

**Author's Note:**

> I've always loved the pairing of Aragorn and Arwen; and like I said before, the parallels with the other pairings in this story, like Bilbo and Thorin, but most importantly Kili and Tauriel... I just couldn't help myself. 
> 
> The information concerning Bard's family was given as a way to continue my head-cannon, and to begin to build up for some things I've planned for future chapters. I hope you also liked the children! I loved writing them; and we'll be seeing them again, I promise you. 
> 
> Next part: The life of Frodo Baggins is no easy thing, not only is he the nephew of the only hobbit to ever travel as far and wide as Erebor and Esgaroth... but he's also the youngest prince of Erebor... oh my! 
> 
> P.S. Right now I have a strong idea of the pieces I will be doing to take this story forward as far as the end of the War of the Ring and the last ship West... if there's anything you would like to see let me know so I might try to fit it in while there's still time.


End file.
